In the Summertime (a.k.a. RL avatars)

People SLife for a variety of reasons; personally I began SLifing a) to see what all the fuss was about, and b) to explore the potential for virtual meetings, virtual internships and various other work-related projects. Unfortunately RL got in the way so I had to take a couple of months out (heaven knows what Puli’s been getting up to in the absence of her ‘maker’ ;-)
But I must admit that even though my SLife addiction had to be put on hold, my Flickr addiction took over. I've was thinking about online social networking, communities etc. and began to wonder if there was a seasonal element – specifically in terms of SLifing as a form of escapism.
SL was brilliant in during the cold, dark winter months. I/she (Puli) regularly TP-d off to sunnier climes and basked in the virtual sun with an unspillable cocktail in my/her hand. At the time I was also rather partial to in-world gliding and wrote about the after-effects of immersion and my dismay at the RL realisation that I walked as opposed to skated to work.
It’s such a strange feeling when cognitive ghosts appear and sensations from SL spill over in to RL. I rationalised this by drawing the analogy with my Quake addiction years ago.
But since returning to SL I’ve begun to experience a different type of ‘SLangover’, and again this is seasonal in that it relates to RL summer outfits. On several occasions during the past 2 weeks, I’ve been walking down the street and thought I saw an avatar.
There’s a generic male SL outfit/body type – that of triangle torso, wearing jeans and a white t-shirt – and now when I see that body type/clothing combo, with an avatar’s gait, I get a very strong (albeit momentary) sensation that I’m in-world...